Several Arson Fires in Altoona

ALTOONA, BLAIR COUNTY - A man woke up to find the back of his house on fire on Monday morning.  Police said it was the work of an arsonist.

The fire started around 4:00 a.m. Monday at the home on the 100 block of 6th Avenue in Altoona.

A smoke detector woke up the homeowner, Charles Mingle.  He found that the back of his house was on fire, and an SUV parked nearby was sprayed with red paint.

Altoona Police Department hasn't released any information about this investigation, but they did send out a press release about a potentially related incident.

Police said that they responded to a dumpster fire behind the Altoona Salvation Army at 4:18 a.m.  The Salvation Army is right around the corner from Mingle's home.

Police said that Nicholas Clemens was found in the area.  

After questioning, police said they believe that Clemens unsuccessfully tried to steal a car from the Tin Cup parking lot.  They said he then started a fire in one dumpster and two clothing-donation bins behind the Salvation Army.

Police said Clemens admitted to trying to steal the car and to setting the dumpster/clothing bin fires.

Clemens is currently in police custody awaiting arraignment.

Police haven't said if Clemens is involved in the fire at Mingle's home or the graffiti.

To give you a better idea of the proximity of these crimes, check out the map below.  Charles Mingle lives at location A.  The Salvation Army is at location B, and the Tin Cup is at location C.